Publisher: Steve Ginter/Air Force Legends, USA 2004.
Latest in the Air Force Legends series, Earl Berlin's book details the oft-forgotten North American F-86H. As the type has never received a dedicated monograph before, it is an important book.
ISBN: 0-942612-89-2.
Pages: 145.
A wealth of line drawings brings this section to a close, taken from F-86H Tech Orders, and these provide a welcome insight into the nuts and bolts of the F-86H. Intelligent captions accompany many of the drawings, and a section on the aircraft's J73 powerplant is also included, again with explanatory line drawings. Subsequent pages deal in a similar manner with the gun installation (both machine gun and cannon-armed versions), unguided rocket stores, Sidewinder fit, bombs, T-66 Special Store (nuclear), drop tanks, cockpit, undercarriage and speed brake development (see photo below). In all cases, good quality photos and line drawings back up the text to detail differences and test installations.
Rounding off the 'development' side of the book, there are interesting pages on vertical fin development, illustrating the rarely-seen short-fin test aircraft as well as a further test whereby an FJ-2 Fury vertical fin was tested on 52-1975. Further items detail a comparison between Canadair Sabre 6, Commonwealth Avon Sabre and F-86H, a flight evaluation of the F-86H by 'Corky' Meyer, and a full explanation of the crash that claimed the life of Capt Joseph McConnell.
From page 77 the book moves on to the service use of the F-86H, starting with the USAF units. Earl Berlin has done well to source photographs of the various units, and has resisted the temptation to use photos that have been seen many times before. He has also made extensive use of the unit records at Maxwell AFB, and this provides a very detailed textual picture of F-86H operations with first 50th FBW, then 83rd FDW, 4th FDW, 312th FDW, 474th FDGp and 413th FDGp. USAF training with 3595th CCTW is also covered. If I do have one reservation about the book (and I have to say that it would only be one), then it would be the way that the units are dealt with; I would have preferred to see individual squadrons detailed in numeric order, rather than grouped (pardon the pun) into Wings and Groups. However, this may have been an editorial change, and I can appreciate how, as an author, that can sometimes change your well thought-out plans. This shouldn't put you off, however; Berlin's style is very readable, and there are plenty of useful hard facts and figures interspersed with the narrative.
Following on in the text, short sections then detail and illustrate the Air Force Reserve, Edwards AFB, and 3200th Test Wg Eglin use of the Sabre. The AfRes use of the F-86H is particularly noteworthy, since it has never been fully explained before; though AfRes Sabre operations never really got into full-swing, it makes interesting reading nonetheless.
For many, the F-86H will be synonymous with use by the Air National Guard, and this section of the book runs from page 117. Following a short introduction, Earl sets about dealing with the ANG's use of the 'H'. Again, my reservation with the USAF section applies here: instead of individual squadrons being detailed, the ANG F-86Hs are dealt with by state. Thus, 115th and 195th TFS operations are dealt with under 'California' and 136th, 137th, 138th and 139th TFS are grouped under 'New York'. I think again that this may be an editorial change since I experienced the same thing with my F-86D/K/L book, Vol.3.
As Earl explains, historical data pertaining to ANG use of the F-86H is hard to find, but he still manages to include some good detailed information to back up the very complete photo coverage.
Rounding off this volume, there is a 'Survivors' photo page, illustrating and detailing the more readily accessible members of the breed, as well as details of tactics evaluation of the F-86H against the F-100, F-104, F-105 and F-4. In common with other issues in this series, there is also a short section detailing the only complete model kit of the F-86H to be issued thus far - Collect-Aire's 1/48 scale resin example.
Finally, on the rear cover of the book, seven colour plates show various F-86H colour schemes, including 533rd FDS, Lockheed chase, 104th TFS MD ANG, 430th FBS, 429th FBS, 101st TFS MA ANG and 3595th CCTW target tug.
Earl Berlin's F-86H book is a well-researched and well-written monograph on the 'last of the Sport Models'. It will undoubtedly be the only book ever exclusively dedicated to the type, and I doubt that it will ever be covered in more detail. Photographic coverage is excellent throughout, and these are reproduced with good clarity that will satisfy both historian and modeller alike.
It is the complete work on this sadly neglected version of the famous Sabre line. Don't hesitate - go and buy some!!! (and get a few for relatives too).